Package thefts are on the rise in Jackson Heights, say police and residents

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A burglar entered a 34th Avenue building early Thursday morning and stole items from about a dozen packages in the lobby. It was the second burglary in the building since July. Photo courtesy of Don Nguyen

A burglar entered a 34th Avenue building early Thursday morning and stole items from about a dozen packages in the lobby. It was the second burglary in the building since July. Photo courtesy of Don Nguyen

By David Brand

When Don Nguyen got back to his Jackson Heights co-op building Wednesday night, the Amazon packages piled on a table near the mailboxes were safe and sound. 

The next morning, neighbors started sharing photos from the lobby. About a dozen boxes and padded envelopes were torn open and the contents were missing. The superintendent pulled the surveillance footage and residents watched as a hooded man with a garbage bag entered the building around 3 a.m. and made off with their items.

It was the second time the 34th Avenue building has been burglarized since July, and the latest in a rash of similar crimes in Jackson Heights that leave residents feeling violated.

“Your home is your castle and when someone messes with that you don’t feel safe where you live,” Nguyen said.

Local Facebook groups and the Nextdoor app are filled with reports of similar thefts. News about the Thursday burglary prompted several responses from neighbors recently robbed by so-called “porch pirates.”

“We too have been hit consistently,” Pre-K owner Tammy Rose responded on Nextdoor. “Our super has taken the photos to the police, but nothing has been done.” 

Rose lives at the corner of 79th St and 37th Avenue and said package theft has spiked since the start of the COVID pandemic, when delivery workers stopped dropping the items off at people’s doors and began leaving them in the lobby.

“It’s been happening for a while,” she told the Eagle. “The super has seen it on camera where as soon as UPS or Fedex deliver packages, a minute or two later you’ll have people coming in with hoods on, masks on and it’s hard to identify them.”

Many residents, particularly seniors, tend to buzz people into the building without seeing who they are, which allows the burglars to enter and take the items, she said.

She suggested that Amazon and private delivery companies pay workers more to provide door-to-door service since the companies are already coughing up cash to replace the stolen items. 

“We have an elevator,” she said. “It seems to me it would be more cost-effective.”

Perpetrators, if caught, face different charges based on the value of the stolen goods.

If the items are valued at more than $1,000, the offense is grand larceny. Any less than that, it’s petit larceny. Still, filing a police report rarely leads to recovered objects.

The local 115th Police Precinct hasn’t been helpful when it comes to stopping the package thefts, both Nguyen and Rose said. Neighborhood coordination officers have yet to follow up, Nguyen added.

The precinct has not responded to calls seeking comment, but tweeted a warning about package theft on the rise on Oct. 26.

“Waiting for a package? So are they! There is a rise in package theft. Follow our tips to keep the porch pirates away!” the 115th Precinct tweeted, with advice for insuring expensive items and choosing a delivery option where the recipient has to sign for the package.

An NYPD spokesperson said the police do not specifically track package thefts, but a December 2019 report by The New York Times found that about 90,000 packages go missing every day in the five boroughs. With more people relying on delivery services during the pandemic, the number may now be even higher. 

City Council candidate Alfonso Quiroz, who lives in the same building as Nguyen, called on the local police to take the issue more seriously. He also posted a video on YouTube warning neighbors about the burglaries following the July heist at his co-op.

"This kind of mail and package theft is not only a serious crime but it’s something that has made everyone feel very violated,” Quiroz said. “It deserves immediate attention from law enforcement officials and everyone in this area is going to have to be more vigilant.”